Youth engagement and skills acquisition within Africa's transport sector: promoting a gender agenda towards transitions into meaningful work

认识到动员非洲年轻妇女加入劳动力的重要性，本研究解决了高度性别化的交通和旅行领域所带来的具体障碍，以及这对女孩和妇女目前/未来获得有意义的工作的影响。所有年龄的妇女在获得和使用交通工具（这影响到她们在所有部门获得技能和就业的机会）以及在运输部门本身的就业方面都受到歧视。如果他们要突破这些障碍，就必须在早期获得安全驾驶交通和更公平地寻找就业的相关技能。我们的目标是通过对尼日利亚、南非和突尼斯周边地区（每个国家一个城市地区）社会经济地位较低的年轻女性进行深入的参与性研究，包括对基于技能的干预措施进行试点，了解并应对这些挑战。该研究有三个相互关联的部分：a)用户部分包括研究如何改善年轻女性利用交通工具参加培训计划和就业，围绕以下问题：-年轻女性所在的交通生态的经济、社会和基础设施决定因素是什么？它如何影响她们的交通体验和行为？-年轻女性获得有意义的工作和相关技能的实际机会如何受到她们的旅行潜力和交通工具的影响（即，特别是低收入地区妇女的旅行安全和保障）？年轻女性要想安全地上班和获得培训机会（无论是作为行人、骑自行车还是乘坐公共交通工具），她们需要哪些关键技能？-如何提供适当的安全旅行技能培训？-需要更广泛的干预措施来支持安全旅行技能计划[例如来自政府、运输工会、非政府组织、私营部门]，即参考多层政治、经济和社会文化决策过程？b)就业链包括研究如何改善妇女获得技能的机会（例如商业驾驶、车辆维修/保养），使她们能够在运输部门获得更有意义的就业，围绕以下问题：-规划和政策进程的历史、社会、政治和经济遗产如何影响妇女在运输部门的就业机会？-如何扩大和提高年轻女性在这一领域工作的愿望？-年轻女性认为在该行业获得技能和就业的主要障碍是什么？-可以提供技能培训，使年轻女性在该行业发挥更突出的作用？-需要更广泛的干预措施来支持培训计划，以改善该部门的妇女就业[例如，来自政府，工会，非政府组织，私营部门]c)行动研究链建立在用户和就业链的研究结果基础上。它将试点对青年妇女进行与运输有关的技能培训，以改善她们的就业机会[通过直接在运输部门就业和间接通过旅行安全技能使她们能够获得各种就业机会]。每个国家都将有小型试点行动研究项目：-一个帮助妇女培养作为交通工具使用者的技能[从而获得交通部门内外的各种就业机会]-三个帮助妇女培养在交通部门就业的技能。在整个生命周期中对这条链进行密切监测和评估，将确保吸取关键教训。通过这项工作，我们将为地方、国家和国际各级的政府、私营部门、非政府组织和学术界制定对性别问题敏感的交通/旅行技能指南。

Acknowledging the importance of mobilising Africa's young women into the labour-force, this research addresses the specific impediments presented by a highly gendered transport and travel arena and the implications this has for girls' and women's current/future access to meaningful work. Women of all ages are discriminated against, both with regard to access and use of transport (which affects their access to skills acquisition and employment across all sectors) and with reference to their employment within the transport sector itself. Relevant skills acquisition at an early age, for safely navigating transport and more equitably seeking employment is essential if they are to break through such barriers. We aim to understand and address these challenges through in-depth participatory research with young women of low socio-economic status in peripheral locations of Nigeria, South Africa and Tunisia (one city-region per country), including piloting of skills-based interventions. The research has three, interlinked strands: a)The User Strand comprises research into improving young women's use of transport to access training programmes and employment, built around the following questions: -What are the economic, social and infrastructural determinants of the transport ecology in which young women are located and how does it impact on their transport experiences and behaviours?-How is young women's physical access to meaningful work and associated skills building shaped by their travel potential and access to transport (i.e. especially travel safety and security for women resident in low income areas)? -What key skills do young women need if they are to travel safely to work and training opportunities (whether as pedestrians, as cyclists, or when negotiating public transport)? -How can appropriate safe travel skills training be provided? -What wider interventions are needed to support a safe travel skills programme [e.g. from government, transport unions, NGOs, private sector] i.e. with reference to the multiple layers of political, economic and socio-cultural decision-making processes?b)The Employment Strand comprises research into improving women's access to skills (e.g. commercial driving, vehicle repair/ maintenance) to enable them to obtain more meaningful employment within the transport sector, built around the following questions: - How have historical, social, political and economic legacies of planning and policy processes impacted on opportunities for women's employment in the transport sector? -How can young women's aspirations to work in this sector be expanded and enhanced? -What do young women perceive as the main barriers to skills acquisition and subsequent employment in the sector? -What skills training can be provided to enable young women to play a more prominent role in the sector? -What wider interventions are needed to support training programmes to improve women's employment in this sector [e.g. from government, unions, NGOs, the private sector]c)The Action Research Strand builds on User and Employment Strand findings. It will pilot transport-related skills training for young women, to improve their access to employment [both directly, through employment in the transport sector and indirectly, through travel safety skills to enable them to travel to diverse employment opportunities]. Ihere will be small pilot action research projects in each country: -One to assist women build skills as transport users [and thus access diverse employment opportunities within and beyond the transport sector] -Up to 3 to assist women build skills towards employment in the transport sector.Intensive monitoring and evaluation of this strand throughout its life will ensure key lessons are learned. Through this work we will produce gender-sensitive transport/travel skills guidance for govt, private sector, NGOs + academia at local, national + international levels.